Beer Can Chicken

So chicken's were on sale this week at Baker's (99 cents a pound!) so I decided I'd try to make the "Beer Can Chicken" my friend Mary was talking about. I'd also heard it called "Beer In The Butt Chicken", because...well...you put a can of beer in the cavity of a whole chicken and stand it up on the grill or in the smoker to cook. After a quick search online, I discovered that it's pretty easy to make in the oven, too. It's very moist and uses NO oil so it's pretty healthy for you too. Oh, and btw...HyVee has chickens on sale for 59 cents a pound this weekend so I guess my good bargain wasn't such a good bargain afterall. I'm going to stock up at HyVee after trying this recipe!

Beer Can Chicken
1 Whole Chicken (5-6 lbs)
1 Can of Beer
Seasoning of your choice

Rinse chicken, removing all the pieces and parts. Throw those nasty things away. : ) Pat the chicken dry and season to your liking--I used a poultry rub that I found in the pantry. Be sure to not only season the outside of the bird, but also underneath the skin. Reserve a little of the rub to mix into the beer.
Remove the top of the beer can with a can opener (stand back because it really squirts at you when it's punctured) and get rid of about 1/2 of the beer. Stir in the remaining rub mixture into the beer--it will really foam up so do this over the sink. Sit the bird right down on top of the can; put the beer-butted chicken in a baking pan to catch all the drippings.
Bake at 350 for 2 hours or until the juices run clear.
Carefully remove the can. Let stand ten minutes before carving. You can use the drippings to make gravy, if you know how to do that. I don't, so I just made stuffing and steamed some veggies instead. : )